Box Score ELLENSBURG, Wash (Sept 6) – The Central Washington University volleyball team concluded the Hampton Inn Wildcat Volleyball Invitational in stellar fashion sweeping No. 16 Sonoma State University in three sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-22,) and becoming the only team to go undefeated over the three-day invitational.
The Wildcats improved to a perfect 4-0 on the season while the Seawolves fell to 2-2.
Junior
Linden Firethorne (Clinton, WA, South Whidbey) was named Most Valuable Player on the All-Invitational Team. Junior
Catie Fry (Tacoma, WA, Mount Si) was also named to the team.
The Wildcats held the lead throughout the entire first set that ended with a four-point run capped off by a miscommunication in the Seawolves' back line as
Jordan Deming's (Hillsboro, OR, Century) serve hit the hardwood for an ace.
Rachel Hanses (Yakima, WA, West Valley) led the charge in the opening set, with four kills and
Julie Hulbert (La Conner, WA, La Conner) added three of her own as CWU outhit SSU .156 to .088 and benefited from nine Seawolves errors in the set.
The Seawovles turned up the intensity in the second set as the score was tied 11 different times. The Wildcats found themselves down, 7-8, early in the second set until they cracked off a six-point run fueled by another Deming ace and multiple kills from Hanses and
Kaitlin Quirk (Ellensburg, WA, Ellensburg). With the score tied at 20-20 in the second set, CWU benefited from a four-point run aided by kills from Firethorne, Deming and the set clinching kill from Hanses. Fry dished out 13 assists in the set finding four different Wildcat hitters.
The Wildcats raced to the finish line in the third set. Hanses, again led the charge with six kills in the set and Fry added another 14 assists to bring her total on the night to 36. Hanses finished with a season-high 17 kills, while Hulbert, Quirk and Firethorne each finished with seven counters on the day.
The Wildcats out hit the Seawolves .244 to .197 on the night and tallied six Wildcat blocks to their opponents five.
The Wildcats will take the court again next Thursday, Sept. 11 when they travel to Riverside, Cali., for the GNAC/PACWEST crossover.
